How do you use "on your last legs" in a sentence?

After that marathon I was on my last legs. The old car is on its last legs - time for a new one. The business was on its last legs before the investment.

on your last legs

Q: What does "on your last legs" mean?

near exhaustion or death About to give out or collapse from exhaustion or illness. Can be literal or used for machines and situations about to fail.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian Unknown informal

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Meaning: near exhaustion or death

精疲力竭，快不行了

al borde del agotamiento o la muerte

限界に近い、へとへと

녹초가 된, 한계에 다다른

About to give out or collapse from exhaustion or illness. Can be literal or used for machines and situations about to fail.

因疲劳或疾病即将倒下。可以是字面意义，也可用于快要坏掉的机器或即将失败的事物。

A punto de desplomarse por agotamiento o enfermedad. Puede ser literal o usarse para máquinas y situaciones a punto de fallar.

疲労や病気で倒れそうな状態。文字通りの意味か、故障しそうな機械や状況にも使える。

피로나 질병으로 쓰러지기 직전인 상태. 문자 그대로 쓰기도 하고, 고장 직전인 기계나 상황에도 비유적으로 사용된다.

Examples

After that marathon I was on my last legs.
跑完马拉松后我已经精疲力竭了。
Después de ese maratón estaba para el arrastre.
あのマラソンの後、もうへとへとだった。
그 마라톤 후에 완전히 녹초가 되었다.
The old car is on its last legs - time for a new one.
那辆旧车快报废了，该换新的了。
El coche viejo está en las últimas, hora de comprar uno nuevo.
あの古い車はもう限界だ。新しいのを買う時だ。
저 낡은 차는 이제 한계야. 새 차를 살 때다.
The business was on its last legs before the investment.
在获得投资之前，这家公司快撑不下去了。
El negocio estaba en las últimas antes de la inversión.
投資が入る前、事業は風前の灯だった。
투자가 들어오기 전에 사업은 풍전등화 상태였다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: casual, dramatic, humorous

Tone: emphatic

✓ Do Say

Describe exhaustion
形容精疲力竭
describir agotamiento
疲労困憊を表す
극심한 피로를 묘사할 때

✗ Don't Say

About someone actually dying - insensitive
不要对真正快死的人说，不够敏感
No se usa sobre alguien que se está muriendo de verdad, es insensible
本当に死にかけている人には使わない。無神経
실제로 죽어가는 사람에게 쓰면 무례함

Origin & History

Image of legs giving way from exhaustion or weakness. Used since the 16th century.

Cultural Context

Era: timeless

Generation: all ages

Social background: all